Sequestration threatens scientific research programs

A close-up of scientist's hands holding three test tubes. (John Crawford/Wikimedia Commons)Neuroscience student Laura Mariani knows that one day her research could lead to solving a debilitating brain disorder.Traditionally funded by government-backed grants, aspiring scientists like Mariani rely on money from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. But looming mandatory budget cuts to the agencies scientists rely on for funding, have researchers like Mariani worried.Laura Mariani, 28, is a PhD student at Emory University in Georgia. …